Is “Barbie” Anti-Men? Analyzing a Satirical Patriarchy & Gender Expectations
Thursday night, I donned all pink with my family and saw the movie everyone’s been raving about: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. I found it funny, powerful, and even shed some tears toward the end. I immediately understood why my sister was willing to see the film a second time: it’s a hilarious work of art! As a woman who played with Barbies growing up, I was thoroughly entertained with the amount of imagination in this movie. Margot Robbie’s performance as the glamorous and disillusioned Stereotypical Barbie was phenomenal and Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of a lovestruck Ken was just as wonderful. I immediately wanted to write something about it because there’s just so much to dissect! So, let’s dive in.
A Boys’ World
Because Barbies were made for children, Ken’s version of Barbieland post-takeover is just as silly as the original. But unlike the real world, there are no real weapons used in the fight scene and no mentions of sex. In fact, Barbie only gets her genitals at the end of the film when she boldly announces she’s to see her gynecologist. Even though there are mentions of beer, that could be interpreted as a child’s understanding of it after seeing their dad crack a cold one after work. There is also no sexual harassment like Barbie faces in the real world. When Ken asks to sleep over her house and she wonders what they want to do, he says he doesn’t know. This is because sex doesn’t exist in their world. My point here is that Ken’s patriarchy, although intentionally damaging to a woman, is masculinity from the eyes of a child. Even what he names Barbie’s dream house (Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House) is ridiculous and over-the-top.
“I Only Exist Within the Warmth of [Barbie’s] Gaze”
The competitive feelings when it comes to female attention are just as present as in the beginning, highlighting a tenet of toxic masculinity. Because just as some women see each other as competitors, so does Ken for his appointed Barbie’s affection. This can be seen in the serenade scene where the Barbies pit the Kens against one another to win back the government. This is to show that even in young boys with crushes, animosity can be had.
Another point worth mentioning is that Ken, although with his moment of villainy, is still redeemable because of the oppression faces. Not because of being placed in the “friend zone” like he may think, but because the Kens are literally homeless, have no representation in the government, and literally exist to be a companion for their Barbie. “Barbie has a great day every day, but Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him,” says the Narrator. “I just don’t know who I am without you,” Ken later says. This brings to light another big societal issue; the glorification of romance. Too many people think that their happy ending has to be with a partner when that simply isn’t true. People don’t have to define their success based on whether they are satisfied romantically, but for years in music and on TV, there’s been an intense exaltation of romantic love. Just like Barbie is expected by Mattel to end up with Ken, Ken is obsessed with Barbie. But after developing a mind of her own, Barbie decides she doesn’t want to be with Ken, as is her right. Nobody of any gender is obliged to return romantic advances.
The Real-Life Patriarchy
“I’m just so tired of watching myself, and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us,” says Sasha’s mom.
When Ken enters the real world, he’s fascinated with men’s historical importance. He wants to have just as much importance politically and socially as Barbie, and brings back books on the patriarchy to the other Kens. Meanwhile, Barbie is horrified, saying the attention she receives has an “undertone of violence” as she’s hit on, even being slapped on the ass by a stranger. This is a horrifying representation of what men can get away with in life that may seem like an exaggeration. However, some form of sexual harassment is likely to happen to a woman at least once in her life. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center states that this percent of women is 81%.
Terrifying, isn’t it?
People who claim that this film is “anti-men” are missing the point completely, and it’s incredibly frustrating. Barbie may be a comedy but it’s also about womanhood, motherhood, and figuring out who you want to be in a confusing and harsh world. And for the men crying over Ken and how he doesn’t get his happy ending, he has the best outcome for someone who’s committed a serious crime such as brain-washing an entire population. He’s not imprisoned or ostracized from Barbieland and is even apologized to by Barbie for leading him on, and how “Every night didn’t have to be girl’s night”. The people complaining are just pissed and thinking, “This would be sexist if it were the other way around,” when for years it has been! Movies where the female lead depends on the male main character have been around for decades. Let the girlies have our fun feel-good film and get over it!
If you have something to add, feel free to comment. I haven’t written anything for Fandom Fanatics in a while so hope that it’s a worthwhile read.
